#alexandrian icons

[jaaryl]

[tyetknot]

King of the Witches - A Review | Introduction

King of the Witches Introduction

Introduction | 1 - The Young Initiate | 2 - A Magic Childhood | 3 - The Haunted Hill | 4 - Call Down The Spirits | 5 - Bewitched

King of the Witches was published in 1969 and ostensibly written by June Johns, although there is speculation that Sanders either wrote it himself or largely dictated the material presented. Alex Sanders was a bit of a showman, the life of the party, and at least a little bit a charlatan, in that many of the events described in this book very clearly didn’t happen, but in the world of 1960s – 1980s modern pagan witchcraft that is hardly unusual.

Having completed my chapter-by-chapter readthrough analysis review hitjob of Nigel Pearson’s Treading The Mill, I decided I’d take a look at King of the Witches: The World of Alex Sanders. I was recently able to get a very nice physical copy of this book which I find is a much more pleasant reading experience than going through a scanned .pdf version of it, and as it’s been a while since I read it I have comparatively fresh eyes for it. A newer biography, Coin For The Ferryman, has come out recently and I have a vague idea of cross-referencing it with King of the Witches and Maxine Sanders’ Fire Child which is even more blatant fiction passing itself off as an autobiography. We will have to see – many things happen in the fullness of time.

Alex Sanders (1926 – 1988) was the founder of the Alexandrian Tradition of Wicca, one of the two most well-known traditions of the religion. He was married three times, most famously to Maxine Sanders, and was the father of five children. He claimed that he had been given the title ‘King of the Witches’ by a council of witches, a position that has since gone unfilled in spite of some claimants who are generally unrecognized, most notoriously by Kevin Carlyon who has engaged in a variety of absurd publicity stunts largely focused on the Loch Ness Monster.

Many early Wiccans shunned the media spotlight and found that any attempts to seriously engage with it backfired horribly – reading Gerald Gardner’s The Meaning of Witchcraft shows his confused attempts to correct tabloid journalist accounts of his practices, and Doreen Valiente very famously split with Gardner because he had been trying to engage with the media (among other reasons). Witches trying to use the media against other witches to settle petty slights was a moderately common thing and it is one thing Robert Cochrane Roy Bowers is remembered for.

Sanders, however, accepted that the media existed and was something that could be worked with, and was clearly adept at using sex and showmanship to capture attention in order to grow his brand. Many iconic photos that are today instantly recognizable were taken of his coven and their rituals.

King of the Witches is presented as a biographical account of his entry into witchcraft and his life as one of its High Priests. Published in 1969, and has many sensationalist claims that defy credibility. In this column we will be going through it on a chapter-by-chapter basis. Strap in, friends, because this is one hell of a ride. It’s gonna get weird.

Introduction

The book opens with a list of illustrations, a glossary, and an Introduction. This starts out by discussing how people have always believed in magic in that 1960s “I read the encyclopedia article” kind of way. It asserts that the gods of the Old Religion became the devils of the new in a way that was very common in books on modern pagan witchcraft until the very late 90s – early aughts. It is imperative for us modern readers to remember that good scholarship on the history of Wicca did not really exist until very recently and even after Hutton’s The Triumph of the Moon was published in 1999 there was a lot of resistance to accepting the truths it contained. Some prominent pagans out there still believe in the Murrayite witch-cult hypothesis. Nowadays we mostly know better, but it is important for us to keep this in mind.

“Certain aspects of white-witch dogma can be traced to ancient religions all over the world, in Druidical beliefs, for instance, and the incantations in Runic have been passed from generation to generation.”

We, of course, know that modern Druidry is every bit as modern as Wicca, and that the use of runes for divination is modern as well. But this was 1969, a different time indeed. We know today, for example, that Heinrich Kramer and Jakob Sprenger, the authors of the Malleus Maleficarum, did not, in fact, have the full support of the Pope, and that their book was considered heretical because of the incorrect demonology and unlawful legal procedures contained therein, but again, 1969. This book has the usual sort of twaddle we can expect from books of the time – the Malleus Maleficarum dominated witch hysteria until the Reformation, that many Christian priests were only outwardly Christian but secretly pagan, that sort of nonsense. One line that stood out to me here was:

“Spiteful women are not confined to the twentieth century; they abounded in medieval Europe.”

Conspicuously absent is the outdated claim that the witch hysteria was aimed at powerful women, but this was published a while before books spreading that claim came into vogue. There are the usual breathless descriptions of torture and trial, of shaving and pricking and searches for the devil’s mark on the accused. One strange footnote reads:

“Or, at the start of the terror, for the mark of the three-nailed claw, known as the Witches’ Mark, with which witches used to tattoo their converts.”

This is, of course, a weird new spin on the concept that upon their induction into the worship of the Devil, Satan would bite, nip, or scar his new devotee. Some modern traditions of Wicca practice initiatory tattooing but I don’t believe this is a very widespread notion and I can only readily think of one Tradition that does it. The book suggests that people died from pricking.

“Not every witch denied the charges; many went into great detail about the spells they had worked, and were proud to be named. These same prisoners went to the gallows almost gaily, just as much martyrs to their religion as the early Christians who were thrown to the lions.”

You can just say Isobel Gowdie, it’s fine.

Notably, for all the weird crap that is enthusiastically regurgitated in this book, it mentions a couple things that are almost never brought up in modern pagan discussion of the witch hysteria – it states that only a small number of people accused were actually deemed guilty and executed, and it gives an almost-sane number of casualties – about 250,000. This is a far cry from the nine million figure that was commonly bandied about and occasionally still is, and is comparatively close to modern estimates. Unfortunately there are further absurd statements, like the following:

“The books of magic, or ‘grimoires’ as they were called, were seized upon by collectors – many of the witches’ closest secrets were discovered in the Key of Solomon, a copy of which is preserved in the British Museum. Clutching the remnants of their faith, the survivors of the witch-hunts went underground. But not for long.”

Tell me you haven’t read the Key of Solomon without telling me that you haven’t read the Key of Solomon.

The book tells us that Elipas Levi was a witch and Catholic priest – actually he left the clergy at the age of 26 and started studying the occult at 40. She also claims that Levi led the witchcraft revival which is, uh, not true at all. There are some strange claims about the person who did lead the witchcraft revival, Gerald Gardner. We are told that he was initiated to the First Degree by Dafo, started up some covens and filled out the rituals he had been given with other material. These are fairly normal statements, but it also hilariously says:

“Today, ‘Gardnerian’ witches are considered novices by hereditary witches who learnt their rituals from records handed down from generation to generation; they are accepted as legitimate witches but only of the first grade.”

This feels like a strong claim coming from someone who allegedly copied Pat Kopanski’s Book of Shadows in the garage while the other witches were in the house having a party, but go off, I guess.

The book asserts that Sanders is descended from a long line of Welsh witches, and that he was made King of the Witches in 1965, the last holder of this title having been Owain Glyndwr, the last independent Prince of Wales. I have been unable to find anything to prove this last statement, and have a sneaky suspicion that it stems entirely from the depiction of this historical personage in Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part 1.

We are told that Sanders is “unique in that he has set himself the task of making his religion respectable.” Whether or not this respectability involves publishing photos of Maxine Sanders’ tits remains to be seen.

The Introduction closes with a plea to the reader to consider that the practices of the modern witch are no less absurd than those of other religions, which is nice, I guess.

The next chapter of the book, The Young Initiate, has the telling of a now well-known story of Sanders’ introduction into witchcraft at the hands of his grandmother at the age of seven. Stay tuned!

[relaxxattack]

BURSTS INTO YOUR INBOX homestuck vrisrezi fic recs?

Song Of The Pyre is unfinished but it is fucking ICONIC and i recommend it to everyone. no-game alternia AU longfic.

we defy augury is a game-over timeline HEARTBREAKER of a fic. oneshot.

8r8k h34ds is a modern day au finished multichapter fanfic RIGHT UNTIL IT ISN'T. featuring rosemary in later installments

the love we deserve and the love we accept are canonverse explorations from both of their povs respectively and also. break my heart.

you gut me in the bathroom is an exploration of all of vriska's relationships with a focus on vrisrezi.

all flesh is grass is a zombie apocalypse au with side jadekan!

storms and saints is an outsider pov and also made me cry because oh my god they're in love

to praise the mutilated world is a bloodswap au in which terezi is a blueblood and vriska's a teal. heartbreaking.

into this sea of air is a s: make her pay fic with a twist: pacific rim au.

we whispered names to the things in the dark is a modern urban fantasy au with some absolute banger side plots.

we are only dreaming and i'm dreaming only of you is a post-game fic (featuring some black johnrezi which is Not my cup of tea but i was able to look past it lmao)

i know what you think of me is mostly focused on vriska and jake but it's got some vrisrezi too! it's a fisherman vriska au

sburgatoria is a dyke drama religious horror suburbia fic. if that makes sense.

a mirror i built myself is about vrisrezi teaching june flarp!

and finally: we will build a new world is an earth c fic series featuring vrisrezi (one fic just dedicated to that)!

i'm going to send another ask with some more hold on

holy shit anon what the hell

you are a magician a life saver a modern day alexandrian archivist oh my god

[theteasetwrites]

so, I've been thinking about this alot and had to ask but: which of the two dixon kids (robin and baby dixon #2 of course) will grow up wearing their dad's iconic vest? I've always thought this because I feel like the vest could end up being a family thing, heck! sometimes I feel like reader wears it or look at it knowing she's thinking of Daryl. I could also see it being equivalent to carl wearing his own dad's, rick, hat so that's also something too!

Awww omg I haven't even thought about this! Well I think the vest is definitely a family heirloom lol. I also do think reader probably puts on Daryl's vest. I imagine she is doing laundry, and having just washed his vest, she smiles and looks around to make sure he won't see her, then puts it on and goes to look at herself in the mirror with a giggle, since it's so big on her/looks so out of place (she might even do a little Daryl impression with her shitty southern accent). And of course Daryl catches her and teases her about it for a while, but he thinks it's very cute.

ANYWAY, so I definitely think little Daryl Jr. is going to be the one to inherit the vest. Robin maybe tries it on a few times, but it isn't really her thing. I think she is more interested in her dad's crossbow. Robin's style is more like her mom's—she likes dresses and colorful clothes. Daryl Jr., on the other hand, basically just wants to be a carbon copy of his dad, and he literally wants to follow in his footsteps (Robin wants to do some of the things her dad does, but for the most part, she's very individualistic and has her own path she wants to go down). Daryl Jr. just wants to be his dad. He wants to ride a motorcycle and have long hair and wear his dad's old vest. He wants to be tough and cool and stoic and maybe a little grumpy but still heroic and a legend in Alexandria (you know Daryl is seen as a hero by all the Alexandrians, which is just so cute to me).

Daryl Jr. loves the vest, and I imagine that Daryl actually has a really hard time letting go of it, so tbh, I think he will get the vest when Daryl dies lol. Literally have to pry it out of his cold dead hands, but he does want his son to have it. He probably tells him that a lot like: "you like my vest, scout? You can have it... just wait til I'm dead."

Yes, he calls him scout.

[orthodoxydaily]

Icon, Saints&Reading: Friday, August, 5, 2022

August 5_July 23

REPOSE OF ST JOHN CASSIAN THE ROMAN, ABBOT of MARSEILLES  (435)

The Synaxarion calls him Our Father Cassian, chosen by God to bring the illumination of Eastern monasticism to the West. He was born in Scythia of noble parents, and was well educated in secular things. But, thirsting for perfection, he left all behind and travelled with his friend Germanus to the Holy Land, where he became a monk in Bethlehem. After becoming established in the monastic life for several years, St John felt a desire for greater perfection, and sought out the Fathers of the Egyptian Desert. He spent seven years in the Desert, learning from such Fathers as Moses, Serapion, Theonas, Isaac and Paphnutius. Through long struggles in his cell, St John developed from personal experience a divinely-inspired doctrine of spiritual combat. Many say that it was he who first listed the eight basic passions: gluttony, fornication, avarice, anger, sadness, acedia, vainglory and pride. In time, struggles in the Alexandrian Church made life so difficult for the Egyptian monks that St John (still accompanied by his friend Germanus), sought refuge in Constantinople, where they came under the care and protection of St John Chrysostom. When the holy Archbishop was exiled, St John once again fled, this time to Rome, where he came under the protection of Pope Innocent I. This proved to be providential for the Western Church, for it was St John who brought the treasures of Desert spirituality to the monasteries of the West. He founded the monastery of St Victor in Marseilles, then, at the request of his bishop, wrote the Cenobitic Institutions, in which he adapted the austere practices of the Egyptian Fathers to the conditions of life in Gaul. He went on to write his famous Conferences, which became the main channel by which the wisdom of the desert East was passed to the monastics of the West. Saint Benedict developed much of his Rule (which at one time governed most monasteries in the Latin world) from St John's Institutions and ordered that the Conferences be read in all monasteries. Saint John reposed in peace in 435, and has been venerated by the monks of the West as their Father and one of their wisest teachers. His relics are still venerated at the Abbey of St Victor in Marseilles.

Source: Celtic Saints

St John's writings were soon attacked by extreme Augustinians and, as Augustinianism became the official doctrine of the Latin Church, his veneration fell out of favour in the West. Outside the Orthodox Church, his commemoration is now limited to the diocese of Marseilles. http://www.abbamoses.com/months/february.html

St. John Maximovitch of Shanghai & San Francisco felt strongly about introducing Eastern Orthodox Christians to their local, pre-schism western saints. St. John Cassian, abbot of Marseille, France is one of these beloved saints who belong to the common heritage of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. The writing and wisdom of St John Cassian extend far beyond the French region of Marseille-Provence. In the years 417-419 he wrote 12 books entitled “De Institutis Coenobiorum” (“On the Directives of Coenobitic Life”) from his conversations with Palestinian and Egyptian monks, including 10 conversations with the desert fathers. These books provide his fellow countrymen with examples of life-in-common (cenobitic) monasteries and acquainted them with the spirit of the asceticism of the Orthodox East.

ICON: MOTHER OF GOD _JOY OF ALL SORROWS_ ST PETERSBURG (With coins)

We celebrate today...

The Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” (With Coins) was glorified in the year 1888 in St. Petersburg, when during the time of a terrible thunderstorm lightning struck in a chapel. All was burned or singed, except for this icon of the Queen of Heaven. It was knocked to the floor, and the poor box broke open at the same time. Somehow, twelve small coins (half-kopeck pieces), became attached to the icon. A church was built in 1898 on the site of the chapel.

Source: Orthodox Church in America

MATTHEW 17:10-18 

10 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" 11 Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. 12 But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands. 13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist. 14 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, 15 Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him. 17 Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me." 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.

1 CORINTHIANS 11:8-22

8 For man is not from woman, but woman from man. 9 Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. 10 For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord. 12 For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God. 13 Judge among yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him? 15 But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering. 16 But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God. 17 Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. 18 For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. 19 For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you. 20 Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper. 21 For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.

[allthegothihopgirls]

i have a “this isn’t going to happen but i really want it to happen” thing

ok so you may or may not know, negan and gracie are the only two “saviors” left. i think it would be so iconic if they had a scene together.

hear me out

if aaron were to die ricks comic death, gracie would have no parent. (ik it would most likely be gabe but let me dream) as all our mains already have kids.

negan somehow ends up being the one who’s there to “save” gracie and take her under his wing (kinda like him with lydia).

now in my head, before this happens, negans pregnant wife has died this really tragic death just to give negan some more plot trauma. so now he has this whole thing that he lost his unborn child and he got his fatherhood taken away from him.

now we get to the scene, negan and gracie alone either in a room or a forest, and negan’s having a monologue moment. we just see his expression kinda switch, as he realises that this (gracie) is the last of the saviors.

he realises, together they’re the last living proof of the savior war. it would be so ironic, the only evidence of a massive war is this 8 year old little girl, who’s so oblivious to the fact.

the war he led, everyone who fought for him or died while trying, it was all for this, the life of one little girl. she represents innocence, and equality between the alexandrians and the saviors, something that negan only sees now that he’s looking at her.

all while gracie barely knows who this man is

[please-help-this-little-lesbian]

I’m literally laying here thinking about the difference between how All Out War was handled in the comics versus the show and how Maggie and Negan’s arc is being handled and I can’t sleep it fills me with so much rage. The only things I think the show improved upon in terms of these plots is having Negan actually break Rick because that was more intriguing to me as a viewer, and the spaghetti scene because it’s comedic gold. But those are Gimple’s only saving graces. All Out War felt so genuinely raw in the comics, and it just fell so flat on the show. I consider season 7 to be one of my favorites, but that is literally only because of JDMs performance as Negan. If it wasn’t for that, I’d agree that it’s a bad season. Comics! Maggie punching Rick in the face after Glenn got beat and everybody almost killing each other is such a realistic reaction for the group given all their previous trauma, and while understand that the show went with the route of having them all be in shock, it just feels wrong for Maggie to just want to dip after Glenn died, given the love she has for him. I know Maggie was pregnant so she couldn’t exactly beat the shit out of Rick, but it would’ve been nice to see the group just fall apart and yell at each other. Especially because they’ve been holding in their true feelings all night.

I originally mentioned in another post that I would’ve kept the double homicide of 7x01, but honestly I’ve changed my mind. Abraham should have been given his comics death, (as iconic as “suck my nuts” is) and Glenn should have been the only one killed that night. In the comics, All Out War ends with Rick offering to truce with Negan, him slashing his throat, and Negan managing to break Rick’s leg after said slashing. Rick orders the doctor to save Negan before saving him. Later, Rick tells Maggie that he wants to save Negan because “we’re better than him” he wants to spare him to build a future where people stop killing and start living. Maggie clearly doesn’t like this, but she agrees with it, saying that she thinks Glenn would’ve liked the decision.

Later on down the line, after the time jump and the whisperer war, Maggie goes to the house where Negan is staying after being banished by Rick with the intent of killing him. She gets in face, yells and screams, and Negan lets her. He tells her that he feels remorse for killing Glenn, and that he’s not going to stop her from killing him. Maggie thinks this a ploy for sympathy, and they talk. They talk about Glenn, and they talk about (person) Lucille, and Negan ultimately tells Maggie that he doesn’t want sympathy, he just wants an end. Maggie seeing how truly remorseful and broken Negan’s become allows her to finally get closure and the freedom to move on. In my opinion, Negan’s redemption doesn’t come from him saving the Alexandrian’s lives in the whisperer war, it comes from his accountability.

We don’t really know what’s happening in season 11 yet, but it’s seeming like Maggie and Negan are going to be forced to “work together,” which makes me roll my eyes. So far, the only things that’s happened to resolve their arc in the show is that Maggie backed out of killing Negan in season 9, and he vowed to attempt to co-exist with her in season 10. Speaking of 9, that whole scene just felt stupid. I truly believe that Negan was playing Maggie like a fiddle in that scene, and Maggie didn’t even seem all that interested in killing him anyway. And as for season 10, what does co-existing solve? Nothing. So they “work together,” that’s just them being adults and knowing that they have bigger fish to fry than each other at the moment. That’s not closure.

I’ve heard theories that Negan might save Herschel, and while that’s cute and all, I’m only interested in it if it leads to Negan and Maggie actually talking to each other. Because that’s what makes the most sense. They need to let everything out and be completely honest with each other, because that’s the kind of future Rick wanted, and what Glenn died for. A future where we stop treating each other as enemies and doing grand things to rid ourselves of the guilt, and start treating each other as humans. That is the return of civilization Rick was looking for.

TLDR; I don’t like everything in the comics but the way All Out War and Maggie and Negan’s arc was handled in the comics is FAR superior to how it’s handled in the show.

[theirmajesties]

Introducing: Royal Family of Alexandrine

After following tons of royal family simblrs for months, such as @batsfromwesteros, @thesimpireblr​ and @genevrianroyals​, I decided to join the community and create my own sims 4 royal legacy. So without further ado let me introduce to you - the Royal Family of Alexandrine! 

Sitting down to the far left with a hand around her sister-in-law, we have Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Anitha Magdalena, though known by her subjects as the fashion icon Princess Anitha. She is also the current heir to the Crown since the King and Queen is yet without children. Standing behind her is her mother, the gracious Her Majesty the Dowager Queen Dagmar, spouse of the late King Vilhelm II of Alexandrine. Though no longer formally Queen of Alexandrine, she remains Queen of the people. 

Now, left to introduce to you is the currently reigning King and Queen. Here, posing in the Palace’s white drawing room, with a hand resting on her husband’s shoulder: Her Majesty Queen Marguerite. Recently married into the Royal House, she is the newest member of the family and not yet really confirmed by the people. Though Queen Marguerite is a stranger to Alexandrian life, she is not a stranger to the royal life; she descends from a nearby Kingdom. Last, but definitely not least: the only son of the late King Vilhelm II and the Dowager Queen, brother to Princess Anitha: His Majesty King Melchior VI Vilhelm of Alexandrine.

...

[catilinas]

Pro caelio fiction Ranking please? 😌

ok! but this is based off me not having read some of these books for A While bcs i am. not going to try and find them in my book-heap right now

shit tier: i will Not be reading any more of j*hn m*ddox r*berts’ spqr novels because “the catiline conspiracy” was unbelievably bad, but i assume whatever his take on the pro caelio is would go here. actually wait i just checked he doesn’t even have a mystery novel that covers it. which is good because i bet his characterisation of clodia is as flat and misogynistic as all his female characters :). similarly, the rsc cicero plays chose to cut the pro caelio in the timeskip, which is Bad because their caelius was perfect, but like...... their characterisation of women was also bad! so good that there was no pro caelio directed against clodia

bad tier: ok less bad than ?????? is the door in the wall by benita kane jaro. i love this book but reading it feels kinda like passing out? As In, there are so many hot takes in this book Literally Narrated By Caelius that i can’t remember anything at all about the pro caelio. extremely cool of bkj to make the rest of caelius’ life so interesting that the thing he is perhaps Most Well Known For is forgettable, but also Not cool if we are ranking That Exact Thing. also whichever masters of rome book has the pro caelio in it...... so forgettable that i forget what happened

ok tier: dictator by robert harris. his controversial takes are that the p. clodius involved in the prosecution was p. clodius pulcher and not one of his freedmen, and that Clodia Was Actually There. makes it more dramatic ig. pros are that i love his characterisation of caelius (the bit where tiro goes to find him and his toga is all creased and then he throws up? iconic), cons are that sure, robert harris writes a more nuanced clodia than her adaptation in the rsc plays, but also...... it could still be better! and like there’s some subplot about cicero being so rude about clodia to get revenge for clodia being terrible to terentia while cicero was in exile? im really not a fan of this plotline At All, and especially not this resolution of it!!! @ historical fiction authors: Let Clodia Be Friends With Other Women, Please.

good tier: good tier is characterised by Weird Takes On Catullus. the key by benita kane jaro (again!) overlaps a lot w the door in the wall but pro caelio highlights are: caelius is so distracted by not noticing how in love he is with catullus that he’s like “oh yeah btw at this time i was being prosecuted for murdering an alexandrian ambassador :))) no big deal though!” and then as he sits through His Own Trial he fixates on catullus standing in the crowd with a ROCK that he is THIS close to throwing at cicero when he shittalks clodia. robert harris could never. on the other end of the Catullus’ Opinions On The Best Of All Orators is the venus throw by steven saylor, where the protag is working for the prosecution, and also (as always) Really Doesn’t Like Cicero, and so for once!!! we get a view of the pro caelio that isn’t just “oh marcus tullius you are so good at forensic oratory!!! characterisation of clodia who?” and also steven saylor’s clodia (and her relationship w clodius!) is extremely good. the Hot Catullus Take (i got distracted by Loving Steven Saylor) is that the pro caelio is a collab between cicero and catullus and “palatina medea” and “quadrantaria clytemnestra” and i think some other bits were catullus’ writing. also caelius is catullus’ ex. perfect

what the fuck tier: attis by tom holland, where caelius is Not being prosecuted for murdering an alexandrian ambassador, but is instead being prosecuted for a string of ritual axe-murders, that it turns out were actually committed by the murderclowns that union-boss clodius hires to follow catullus around while threatening playing the violin. hot takes are that the affair between caelius and clodia was FAKE and cicero made it up for notes tricked catullus into thinking it was real so he would testify in caelius’ favour. caelius is catullus’ ex in this one too. not long after caelius is acquitted the murderclowns murder clodius in the car park of the archeological site where catullus works, and the resulting riots lead to caesar, who is possibly the european union(?), invading rome. catullus and clodia ride off into the sunset / to Titus Lucretius Carus The Astrophysicist’s Observatory on clodia’s motorbike and then catullus fucking dies? or maybe timetravels back to the start of the novel; it is unclear. to get the true What The Fuck Is Attis’ Version Of The Pro Caelio Experience you have to read the whole sequence on a plane at 2am after drinking a Lot of coca cola

[hieromonkcharbel]

With songs of praise let us hymn Catherine, the bride of Christ, the virgin martyr chosen from the imperial house and crowned in heaven; for she is the most glorious vanquisher of the tyrant, the most wise instructor of philosophers, and a guide to Christ for many. As thou hast boldness before the Lord, O great martyr Catherine, mercifully incline Him to the right needful petitions of those who cry out to thee:

Rejoice, O Catherine, most wise bride of Christ!

The Holy Great Martyr Catherine was the daughter of Constus, the governor of Alexandrian Egypt during the reign of the emperor Maximian (305-313). Living in the capital, the center of Hellenistic knowledge, and possessed of a rare beauty and intellect, Catherine received an excellent education, studying the works of the greatest philosophers and teachers of antiquity. Young men from the most worthy families of the empire sought the hand of the beautiful Catherine, but she was not interested in any of them. She told her parents that she would enter into marriage only with someone who surpassed her in nobility, wealth, comeliness and wisdom.

Catherine’s mother, a secret Christian, sent her to her own spiritual Father, a saintly Elder living in a cave outside the city, for advice. After listening to Catherine, the Elder said that he knew of a Youth who surpassed her in everything. “His countenance is more radiant than the shining of the sun, and all of creation is governed by His wisdom. His riches are given to all the nations of the world, yet they never diminish. His compassion is unequaled.”

This description of the Heavenly Bridegroom produced in the soul of the holy maiden an ardent desire to see Him. “If you do as I tell you,” said the monk, “you will gaze upon the countenance of this illustrious man.” In parting, the Elder handed Catherine an icon of the Theotokos with the divine Child Jesus on Her arm and told her to pray with faith to the Queen of Heaven, the Mother of the Heavenly Bridegroom, and She would hear Catherine and grant her heart’s desire.

Catherine prayed all night and was permitted to see the Most Holy Virgin, Who said Her Divine Son, “Behold Thy handmaiden Catherine, how fair and virtuous she is.” But the Child turned His face away from her saying, “No, she is ugly and unbelieving. She is a foolish pauper, and I cannot bear to look at her until she forsakes her impiety.”

Catherine returned again to the Elder deeply saddened, and told him what she had seen in the dream. He lovingly received her, instructed her in the faith of Christ, admonished her to preserve her purity and integrity and to pray unceasingly. She then received the Mystery of holy Baptism from him. Again Saint Catherine had a vision of the Most Holy Theotokos with Her Child. Now the Lord looked tenderly at her and gave her a beautiful ring, a wondrous token of her betrothal to the Heavenly Bridegroom (this ring is still on her hand).

At that time the emperor Maximian was in Alexandria for a pagan festival. Therefore, the celebration was especially splendid and crowded. The cries of the sacrificial animals, the smoke and the smell of the sacrifices, the endless blazing of fires, and the bustling crowds at the arenas defiled the city of Alexandria. Human victims also were brought, the confessors of Christ, those who would not deny Him under torture. They were condemned to death in the fire. The saint’s love for the Christian martyrs and her fervent desire to ease their sufferings compelled Catherine to speak to the pagan priest and to the emperor Maximian.

Introducing herself, the saint confessed her faith in the One True God and with wisdom exposed the errors of the pagans. The beauty of the maiden captivated the emperor. In order to convince her and to show the superiority of pagan wisdom, the emperor ordered fifty of the most learned philosophers and rhetoricians of the Empire to dispute with her, but the saint got the better of the wise men, so that they came to believe in Christ themselves. Saint Catherine made the Sign of the Cross over the martyrs, and they bravely accepted death for Christ and were burned alive by order of the emperor.

Maximian, no longer hoping to convince the saint, tried to entice her with the promise of riches and fame. Receiving an angry refusal, the emperor gave orders to subject the saint to terrible tortures and then throw her in prison. The Empress Augusta, who had heard much about the saint, wanted to see her. She prevailed upon the military commander Porphyrius to accompany her to the prison with a detachment of soldiers. The empress was impressed by the strong spirit of Saint Catherine, whose face was radiant with divine grace. The holy martyr explained the Christian teaching to them, and they were converted to Christ.

On the following day they again brought the martyr to the judgment court where, under the threat of being broken on the wheel, she was urged to renounce the Christian Faith and offer sacrifice to the gods. The saint steadfastly confessed Christ and she herself approached the wheels; but an angel smashed the instruments of execution, which shattered into pieces with many pagans standing nearby.

Having beheld this wonder, the Empress Augusta and the imperial courtier Porphyrius with 200 soldiers confessed their faith in Christ in front of everyone, and they were beheaded. Maximian again tried to entice the holy martyr, proposing marriage to her, and again he was refused. Saint Catherine firmly confessed her fidelity to the heavenly Bridegroom Christ, and with a prayer to Him she herself laid her head on the block beneath the executioner’s sword.

The relics of Saint Catherine were taken by the angels to Mount Sinai. In the sixth century, the venerable head and left hand of the holy martyr were found through a revelation and transferred with honor to a newly-constructed church of the Sinai monastery, built by the holy Emperor Justinian (November 14).

[imagitory]

D-Views: Muppet Treasure Island

Hi, everyone! Welcome to another installment of D-Views, my on-going written review series for films that fall under the Disney umbrella, as well as those that were influenced by those films! For more reviews for movies like Mary Poppins, Treasure Planet, and The Prince of Egypt, please consult my “Disney Reviews” tag and, of course, if you enjoy this review or any of the others, please consider liking and reblogging!

Today’s film is one of my childhood favorites, starring a cast of some of my favorite people, as well as frogs, pigs, and even whatevers. This is Muppet Treasure Island! (Thank you for your votes, @the-alexandrian-alchemist, @silvvergears, @extremelybears​, @livinlifelikeishould​ and @karalora​!)

Ever since 1976, the characters of the Muppet Show have been American pop culture icons. The show itself won a total of 21 Emmy nominations and four television awards over its long run, and by 1990 its cast had also starred in several critically acclaimed films (The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, and The Muppets Take Manhattan) and the very popular animated TV show Muppet Babies. And all of that wouldn’t have been possible without the Muppets’ creator, Jim Henson.

Like at the Walt Disney Company, the loss of their leader in 1990 hit Jim Henson Productions very hard. One silver lining, however, is that just like with Walt Disney, Jim Henson was memorialized not just by the characters he created, but by his many achievements and the many friendships he’d made in life. He received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame alongside Kermit the Frog; was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame; earned a memorial in his hometown Hyattsville, Maryland; was posthumously named a Disney Legend; was the focus of the heartfelt TV special The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson; and was laid to rest with two formal funeral services complete with performances of some of his favorite songs. And just like the Walt Disney Company, even after the death of someone who meant so much to them, Jim Henson Productions got back up and promised to do more in the memory of their lost leader. Jim’s son Brian Henson took the reins and directed the Disney-co-produced Christmas movie The Muppet Christmas Carol in 1992, before he moved on to their next project and today’s subject, Muppet Treasure Island.

So, here’s the thing -- I have a LOT of nostalgia for this movie. I will be upfront about that. But even with that acknowledged, I was sort of stunned when I found out how lukewarm the reaction to this movie was, when it was released in theaters. Sure, I knew it hadn’t broken the bank, but even if it earned about $34 million worldwide, it received no honors or awards, only hit third at the box office opening weekend behind the movies Broken Arrow and Happy Gilmore, and even now only boasts an average 73% rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Critics at the time criticized how it was more “Treasure Island” than “Muppet”, with Roger Ebert calling it “less cleverly written” and Gene Siskel even more coldly deeming it “boring.” Although I’ll readily acknowledge that reading those reactions makes me want to run outside and scream “FUCK YOU, GENE SISKEL” at the top of my lungs, I promise to give a more rational review of this movie instead, one hopefully that acknowledges any possible shortcomings, but also will celebrate this film and how completely NOT boring it is.

One of the best things about this movie hits us in the face right off the bat -- the music, written by scoring giant Hans Zimmer and Nick Glennie-Smith. As much as I enjoy a lot of Muppet musicals, I attest that Muppet Treasure Island has the most cohesive score overall of any Muppet production. The Muppets were always creatures of the short, sweet vignette -- of the variety show -- of many disparate pieces sewn loosely together into a whole like a patchwork quilt. Even though The Muppet Christmas Carol’s soundtrack comes very close in its cohesion and I would say The Muppets (2011) -- my personal favorite Muppet movie -- is truer to the spirit of the Muppet Show in its music while also paying tribute to old-fashioned movie musicals, Muppet Treasure Island just paints a full-bodied picture from the off-set, building on refrains that return and morph over the course of the picture. From the very beginning, we get that this venture is NOT a standard Muppet movie. Like The Muppet Christmas Carol, the Muppets’ humor will only be part of the story told -- in TMCC, it takes a backseat to sincere emotions like love and redemption, while here in MTI, it takes a backseat to adventure and swashbuckling action.

The score also seamlessly flows into our first song, “Shiver My Timbers,” which just screams “pirate!” I’ve loved pirates ever since I was a little kid, and Muppet Treasure Island was one of the main reasons why. I was okay with Peter Pan, but Muppet Treasure Island was what really got me excited about pirates. They were rough, ruthless, and dangerous, but it was exciting to face off against them in an epic musical adventure, even if your only weapons were a couple of artfully thrown starfish. In the 90′s, pirate films weren’t really “in” -- it wouldn’t be until 2003 with the release of Pirates of the Caribbean that they became popular again -- but I think Muppet Treasure Island, through its music, really embraces the fun, action-packed thrills that Disney would later capitalize on in the Pirates films.

After our prologue, we meet Billy Bones (played by the perfectly cast Billy Connolly) and, of course, our hero, Jim Hawkins, played by newcomer Kevin Bishop. Kevin was the very first of a hundred kids who showed up for the audition to meet the casting agents, and he was selected for the part then and there. Sadly post-Muppets he moved on to stage and television, but for what it’s worth, I quite like Kevin in the role of Jim. He’s distinctly depicted as a boy, complete with a pre-puberty “boy soprano” singing voice (which I acknowledge is an acquired taste, but I personally enjoy), but that characterization only serves to accent how large of an arc he goes through over the course of the film. He starts off as smart, sincere, honest, and dreamy, but also very innocent and trusting, and over the course of the story, he learns to ground himself in who he is and what he believes in, to the point where he has to sever ties with someone he once considered a friend and mentor. Accompanying Jim in his journey are Gonzo and Rizzo, who largely serve as comic relief but do still serve as good friends and companions to Jim, as evident by the three characters’ “I Want” song, “Something Better.” Yes, Gonzo and Rizzo are sidekicks, but they’re still distinct personalities that bounce well off each other and “straight-man” Jim. Originally the filmmakers had considered simply having Gonzo and Rizzo being two characters called “Jim” and “Hawkins” respectively (splitting the part in two, not unlike what they did with Statler and Waldorf in The Muppet Christmas Carol), but due to concerns that the choice would result in a lack of heart in the finished product, that idea was scrapped. I think it ultimately was the better decision to leave the drama to the humans -- it’s not that the Muppets can’t conjure sincere emotion (just look at “Pictures in my Head” or “Man or Muppet”), but I still think having any of the existing Muppets fulfill the “coming of age” narrative the original Jim Hawkins goes through would’ve been a bit of a stretch. Even in The Muppet Christmas Carol or non-Muppet-show Jim Henson production Labyrinth, the main characters with a story arc are played by human actors who are able to ground the picture despite the cast of colorful, irreverent characters.

One of the main criticisms that critics of the time lobbed at this movie is that it feels more “Treasure Island” than “Muppet”, and in a way it’s a decent point, if not phrased very badly. Unlike in other Muppet projects, the humor plays second fiddle to the plot and the characters are not the characters we know from the Muppet Show with their Muppet Show backstories and consciousness. In The Muppet Christmas Carol, the film could very easily be seen as a “production” being put on by the Muppets, even if it’s never overtly stated as such, thanks to Gonzo (as Charles Dickens) constantly breaking the fourth wall. In Muppet Treasure Island, however, Gonzo and Rizzo have their own non-Muppet-show history as friends of Jim Hawkins way before ever meeting the other Muppets like Kermit and Sam the Eagle, and Kermit and Miss Piggy have a whole soap-opera romance that involves a wedding and getting marooned by pirates (we’ll get to that later). So yes, this is more “Treasure Island,” but it’s not less “Muppet” -- it’s less “Muppet Show.” These Muppets have different histories, but they’re the same characters despite this. Gonzo is an eccentric thrill-seeker -- Rizzo is a cowardly cynic -- Kermit is a soft-spoken pacifist -- Fozzie is a lovable dimwit -- Piggy is a self-centered diva. Think of Muppet Treasure Island as a Muppet AU fanfiction -- these may not be exactly the characters you know, and yet...they are! They’re the exact same big personalities with the same quirks, strengths, and weaknesses, just in an alternate universe. And honestly, I think it’s really cool, to see these sorts of characters so exclusively used for comedy in a world that’s not flat-out comedic -- one that’s kind of dirty and rough around the edges, with swashbuckling action and real danger around every corner.

The nice thing is that although yes, the comedy isn’t the central focus anymore, there is still really good humor in this film, a lot of it thanks to the shift in tone. There’s just something so very, very funny to me about Billy Bones’s death scene being followed up by Rizzo, Gonzo, and Jim just flat-out freaking out and dashing out of the room screaming like stupid kids, or the tense action scene where the pirates storm into the inn being punctuated by Rizzo trying to help Gonzo load the gun, only to spill the bag of bullets, or the epic entrance of the illustrious Captain Smollett’s carriage ending with the tall, solemn coachman stepping aside to reveal the Captain himself, played by Kermit the Frog. I think it plays into the ideas of subverting expectations and building up a punchline properly before delivering the joke -- as each scene is built up, we’re left constantly unsure if the film’s going to play things straight or just be completely irreverent, and the contrast is what can make a joke much funnier than in a purely, solely humorous scenario. There are a few points where the contrast can become a bit labored, but I laugh so much more during this movie that I ever have watching my favorite reruns of the Muppet Show, no matter how much I enjoy them. It’s something that, again, the Pirates of the Caribbean films would capitalize on much later. (Too bad they couldn’t incorporate that humor into any catchy musical numbers! Disney, where’s my Pirates of the Caribbean musical?)

Aha, and now we come to the brightest of the shining stars in this film -- our villain, Long John Silver, played by the amazing Tim Curry. I’m sorry, it’s an incontrovertible truth that Curry is a unique, magical ingredient that, when added to any movie, just elevates the cinematic dish to a whole new level and leaves you drooling for one more scene with him. I remember someone once saying that Curry is sort of like a Muppet in human skin thanks to his outrageous, yet likable acting, and...yeah, it makes it so that he fits perfectly in this movie, where he has to interact so closely with the Muppets. The nice thing is, though, that he also has a lot of chemistry with his human co-star Kevin Bishop, to the extent that you sincerely feel for the relationship that forms between Jim and Silver even if you know Silver’s intentions from the start. I particularly like their exchange in the ridiculously catchy “Sailing for Adventure,” as well as their scene at the front of the ship where they discuss their fathers and the stars.

Just as the adventure is getting going, however, it stops dead with the wind’s abandonment of the Hispaniola. Out of nowhere, the ship breaks out into the most ridiculous, most “Muppet” of all of the musical numbers, “Cabin Fever.” The song was one of my favorite parts when I was little and it’s always made me laugh, but it’s definitely the biggest detour of the movie that up until that point lived in its own pirate-centric world. It’s a very short-lived detour and as I said, it’s ridiculously funny, but it doesn’t have any bearing on the plot and I could see how people might find it kind of pointless, particularly since it doesn’t even feature three of our main characters, Jim, Silver, or Smollett. One other critique I will give the film is that some of the effects nowadays don’t look very real, like the Hispaniola being composited over still matte paintings -- there are points where the production values remind me a bit of the old Wishbone TV series, where they have to angle the shot just so or get creative just to try to make the ship look as big as it should be. But honestly, there were points where Wishbone impressed me with those same sorts of layering and green-screen effects despite its limited budget, and those cheaper effects don’t look tacky or out-of-place, so I personally don’t mind them that much.

Because this is a Muppet movie, it’s unsurprising that our Mr. Arrow (played by Sam the Eagle) isn’t really killed, instead just being tricked off of the ship by a manipulative Silver, but it says something that, even with that softened plot turn, the stakes are not completely dismantled. We still see the pirates as a legitimate threat when they kidnap Jim and take over the Hispaniola, even when they burst into song. Tim Curry’s “only number,” “A Professional Pirate,” is a perfect expression of his expert, charming showmanship, which in my mind truly can’t be matched by any other performer in Hollywood, past or present. No one gives a performance like Tim Curry. It makes it so that even when I was a bratty kid getting irritated about Silver calling privateer Sir Francis Drake a pirate and using “buccaneer” as a synonym for “pirate,” I would sing this song at the top of my lungs, trying to even reach 75% of the energy Curry put into his vocals.

At long last, Miss Piggy makes her grand debut as “Queen Boom Sha-Kal-a-Kal,” a.k.a. Benjamina Gunn. Although the diva doesn’t end up getting much screentime, she certainly gets a grand entrance, complete with an elephant steed decorated with flowers and a full musical number complete with a tribal chant and ethereal vocalizing. And true to form, when she lays eyes on her one true love, Kermit...she smacks him so hard that he’s thrown backwards off his feet and into a gong. What’s particularly interesting about Piggy in this movie is that although she and Fozzie are voiced by Frank Oz as always, both she and Fozzie were actually puppeted by Kevin Clash, as Oz was unavailable during this film’s production, and Oz’s vocals for both characters were added in post-production. Despite the difference in puppeteer, however, both characters are just as likable as ever -- I’d honestly had no clue that they weren’t performed by the same person! The film even got to use the full-bodied remote-controlled puppets for Kermit and Piggy for the love duet “Love Led Us Here,” which is kicked off by an Evita joke I never got as a kid but as an adult makes me grin like a friggin’ idiot. Fortunately the duet is inter-cut with Silver and the pirates finding the treasure, rather than it being chock-full of romantic flashbacks or prolonged looks between the two lovebirds, giving it a lighter tone than it would’ve had otherwise.

With a much reduced crew comprised only of Rizzo, Gonzo, Squire Trelawney, Dr. Honeydew, Beaker, and the newly returned Mr. Arrow, Jim comes to Benjamina and Smollett’s rescue and returns to Treasure Island to face Silver and the pirates. The action scene is full of humor, but because of the world established in the rest of the film, I would argue it still has stakes. The blows still hurt and there’s still a threat of defeat and danger, most notably when Long John Silver prepares to fight. Even if you don’t think the Muppets are going to die persay, you still feel the suspense in wanting to see what’s going to happen next. And when Silver surrenders, he himself can see the real treasure Jim found on his adventure -- a family...a group of people Muppets who will support him and encourage the very best in him.

Silver’s escape scene is a beautifully heart-wrenching scene -- one that could only have been earned by two excellent performances over the course of the film by Kevin Bishop and Tim Curry. Even though both Silver and Jim know that they’re different people and they could never walk the same path, it doesn’t mean that they don’t still greatly esteem and care about each other. In Jim’s case, it’s especially difficult, given that in parting ways with Silver, he has to cut loose of a very poor potential father figure who would’ve only dragged him down in the long run, but who was so likable in his own damaged way. It proves to be a very bittersweet scene sprinkled into a very happy, cheerful ending, complete with the chipper island-inspired end credits bop “Love Power.”

Muppet Treasure Island is -- in my opinion, at least -- one of the best Muppet movies ever made. It broke away from quite a few Muppet conventions, like the characters breaking the fourth wall and being aware of themselves being in a movie or TV show, and embraced a much less humorous tone in both its writing and cinematography. Yes, it reimagined a classic book like The Muppet Christmas Carol did, but this movie took the next step, embracing the world of the original novel as well as the set-up and immersing the Muppets’ cast of characters in it. Although I can see why some people would be more partial to the original Muppet movie formula and love it a lot myself, I really, really respect Brian Henson and the rest of this film’s crew for taking the Muppets in such a different direction. It was an entertaining, action-packed, funny pirate movie before those sorts of movies became popular again, and it remains my favorite “pirate” movie of all time, as well as my personal favorite incarnation of the Treasure Island story (barely beating out Treasure Planet). I know childhood nostalgia can play a role in what media can give you joy as an adult, but I truly don’t think it’s the only factor here -- it’s also just a really good movie, and I can only hope that more people will consider giving it a chance and have just as much fun Sailing for Adventure as I did!

[foteina]

some random facts about stella's brother, because as you know canon can bite me and i do what i want:

they're twins. he was born eight minutes before her but stella's grandmother suggested to switch the births around so that stella could be the legit heir to the throne.

they have no psychic powers, there's no such thing as that. stella and kastor are literally like sun and moon, totally different--- still, sibling personality wise kastor is similar to radius and stella to celsius, enough said.

they used to be close, but as i already mentioned in another hc, radius and luna divorced when the kids were seven. stella stayed with radius as she had to keep up with her royal studies, while kastor decided to go live with luna and allan on earth. he'd come back during longer school breaks.

he's pretty much the only link left between stella and luna, and her new family by extention. kastor both his sisters equally and hates that they have little to none interaction due to his mother's behaviour towards stella in the past.

he's known to vaguely look like sky, and that might be because luna and samara are sisters, and for some reason their kids all look like carbon copies ( sky, kastor and soleil are all blond, fair skinned and blue eyed, stella is blonde, a little bit tanner and with golden eyes but still )

he's a bookworm and has read every single book in the solarian library ( y'know, that one that is bigger than the alexandrian library ) and he knows a fuckton of dead languages that he learns for fun. unlike stella he never had to wear glasses, which is funny considering that one could always find him with his nose stuffed in a book.

he was supposed to attend oskuria college but he was never interested in learning magic, which i guess was ultimately the reason why stella finally gave in to her grandmother's pleads and moved to finish her last three years at alfea.

he doesn't have any sense of fashion, which is a tragedy because stella and radius are known to be fashion icons while he had a bowl cut for like most of his life.

he's panromantic and asexual. his first crush was a book character. stella teased him for years about it but then he got her back when 16yo stella was suddenly very annoyed by the fact that brandon would flex his swords skills around other people that were not her. oh yes, a real tragedy - cit.

he and stella get out of the loop quite often because she's always travelling. at 19 he moved back to solaria to work as guardian librarian, and they started finding time to catch up. they play 20 questions like the absolute dork children they are.

he watched solaria crumble to the ground under countess cassandra's tyranny. during that time he was kicked out of the castle and forced to hide in his mother's home planet, callisto, secretly aiding solarians that were in danger while coming up with plans to get the castle and radius back. he was never under the influence of valtor's mark, so he had front row tickets to every single ugly thing happened in hos family because of the countess.

[ipsens-castle]

If you’ve never seen the hidden, unused scenes of FFIX, it’s worth taking a look! A few notes:

Vivi tells Puck that he bought his ticket from a moogle wearing a hat. Who could that be? I can think of one durag that belongs on the head of the noble and kind Stiltzkin, but I doubt he’d swindle Vivi with a fake ticket.

Zidane has a rather heavy moment debating whether he should rescue Garnet in the Evil Forest. This scene was appropriately axed; Zidane has an established persona helping those in need without much forethought.

Morrid and Steiner briefly discuss a longtime ongoing war between Alexandria and Burmecia that resulted in the death of Alexandria’s king. A few things about this: In the timeline of the FFIX Ultimania, you’ll find that Steiner is an orphan of a war that occurred between Alexandria and Burmecia immediately before the advent of Cid VIII’s Mist-powered ships, which promoted trade and subsequently peace between the three nations. This deleted scene could have been great for Steiner’s character development, especially if he had also visited Burmecia, to further emphasize his dogmatic fealty in the first quarter of the story. Further, the recent death of the Alexandrian king could have introduced a more believable change in Brahne’s character, with her grief having been the catalyst for Kuja’s manipulations.

Zidane nails Revolver Ocelot’s iconic “meeow!” in a sneaking mission at Lindblum castle :)

THE ANCIENT MAP THAT IS GIVEN TO ZIDANE BY CID MAY PREDATE THE MIST. This was my absolute favorite, and I have no idea why that ONE line was removed, bc it may suggest that much of the world was explored (perhaps by the summoners? perhaps by explorers like Ipsen???) before Garland created the Soulcage, thus causing the roots of the Iifa tree to emanate rejected souls as Mist. In turn, the appearance of Mist spurred centuries of the aforementioned wars between the three nations, which may be why the Mist Continent is aptly named for its dense amount of, well... expelled Gaian souls.

[ayquebella]

Vintage St. Petersburg Russia Architectural Landmarks and Monuments Antiqued Gold-Tone & Dark Blue Enamel Panel Link Travel Bracelet

What a pretty bracelet that highlights some of St. Petersburg’s most famous architectural landmarks! This gorgeous, antiqued gold-tone and dark blue enamel bracelet has nine linked panels with artistic scenes reminiscent of the rich architectural history found in St. Petersburg. These images represent some of the iconic buildings and ensembles of the historic core located in the immediate vicinity of the Russian city, which are collectively designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and called the Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments.

This collective site has been recognized for its architectural heritage, fusing Baroque, Neoclassical and traditional Russian-Byzantine influences. The nine bracelet panels have artistic images of МЕТРО, МУЗЕЙ, КОЛОННА (abbreviated from АЛЕКСАНДРОВСКАЯ КОЛОННА), КРЕПОСТЬ, ЛЕНИНГРАД, ТЕАТР, АРКА (abbreviated from АРКА ГЛАВНОГО ШТАБА), a second МУЗЕЙ, and a second МЕТРО. (See full description of all 9 landmarks below.)

Vintage St. Petersburg Russia Architectural Landmarks and Monuments Antiqued Gold-Tone & Dark Blue Enamel Panel Link Travel Bracelet

This remarkable landmark travel bracelet with its vibrant, dark blue enamel, will recall memories of St. Petersburg and is a must-have for any world traveler or collector!

Vintage St. Petersburg Russia Architectural Landmarks and Monuments Antiqued Gold-Tone & Dark Blue Enamel Panel Link Travel Bracelet

FULL DESCRIPTION OF LANDMARKS:

МЕТРО (“Metro”) for the St. Petersburg Metro, Uprising Square station, (ПЛÓЩАДЬ ВОССТÁНИЯ), the rapid transit system which features exquisite decorations and artwork making it one of the most attractive and elegant underground train stations in the world.

МУЗЕЙ (“Museum”) for the State Russian Museum (ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ РУССКИЙ МУЗЕЙ), the world’s largest depository of Russian fine art from the 10th Century to the 21st Century.

КОЛОННА (“Column”), abbreviated from АЛЕКСАНДРОВСКАЯ КОЛОННА, for the Alexander Column monument (the “Alexandrian Column”), the focal point of Palace Square which is a column made from a single piece of red granite, topped with the statue of an angel holding a cross, and an ornately decorated base with bas-reliefs featuring allegorical and winged figures.

КРЕПОСТЬ (“Fortress”) for Saints Peter & Paul Cathedral (ПЕТРОПАВЛОВСКИЙ СОБОР), the Russian Orthodox cathedral built on the grounds of the Paul and Peter Fortress, a star fortress citadel.

ЛЕНИНГРАД (“Leningrad”) for the Admiralty Building, one of St. Petersburg’s most conspicuous landmarks with a gilded spire topped by a golden weathervane in the shape of a small sail ship.

ТЕАТР (“Theater”) for St. Petersburg’s world-famous famous theaters for opera and ballet, the Alexandrinsky Theatre, the Mariinsky Theatre and the Mikhailovsky Opera and Ballet Theatre.

АРКА (“Arch”) abbreviated from АРКА ГЛАВНОГО ШТАБА for the arch of the General Staff Building (ЗДАНИЕ ГЛАВНОГО ШТАБА), the monumental, Neoclassical, bow-shaped building with two wings separated by a tripartite triumphal arch that now houses the Hermitage Museum and the Western Military District.

МУЗЕЙ (“Museum”) for the Kunstkamera Museum (МУЗЕЙ КУНСТКАМЕРА), the Baroque-style edifice complete with a turret, and is the first museum of Russia.

МЕТРО (“Metro”) for the St. Petersburg Metro, А́ВТОВО station, in which the British newspaper, The Guardian, included it on its list of 12 most beautiful metro stations in the world because of its Neoclassical design.

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Tue, Dec., 7, 2020

Apodosis ( leavetaking) of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple

Commemorated on November 25 (November 24 by Greek Calendar)

The Priest Martyr Clement, Pope of Rome (101)

     The PriestMartyr Clement, Pope of Rome, was born at Rome into a rich and illustrious family. Since childhood separated from his parents by force of circumstances, Clement was raised by strangers. Living at Rome, the youth received a fine education, he was surrounded by luxury, and had access to the imperial court. But the comforts brought him no delight, and the pagan wisdom failed to attract him. He began to think about the meaning of life. When the news about Christ and His teaching began to reach the capital, Saint Clement left his home and estate and set out to those lands, where the Apostles were preaching. At Alexandria Saint Clement encountered the holy Disciple Barnabas, hearkening to his words with deep attention, and with all his heart perceiving the power and truth of the Word of God. Arriving in Palestine, Saint Clement accepted Baptism from the holy Apostle Peter and became his zealous student and constant companion, sharing with him his toil and sufferings. The holy Apostle Peter shortly before his own sufferings and death ordained Saint Clement to become a bishop of the city of Rome. After the death of the Apostle Peter, there followed next as Bishop of Rome Saint Linus (67-79), succeeded by Saint Anacletus (79-91), and then upon the Roman cathethra-see came next Saint Clement (92-101).      The virtuous life, charitable works and prayerful activity of holy Pope Clement converted many to Christ. Thus, on the day of Pascha once he baptised 424 people. And among the baptised were people of all social classes: slaves, officials, members of he imperial family.      The pagans, seeing the success of his apostolic preaching, made denunciations against Saint Clement to the emperor Trajan (98-117), accusing the saint of insulting the pagan gods. The emperor banished Saint Clement from the capital, sending him off to the faraway Crimea, for work at the Inkerman stone quarry not far from the city of Kherson. Many of the disciples of the saint followed after him, voluntarily preferring exile rather than separation from their spiritual father. Having arrived at the place of exile, Saint Clement found there many Christian believers, sentenced to toil under harsh conditions, and amidst a scarcity of water. He prayed together with the condemned, and the Lord in the image of the Lamb revealed to him the place of a spring of water, from which gushed forth a veritable river of water. This miracle attracted to Saint Clement a multitude of people. Hearing the zealous preacher, hundreds of pagans were converted to Christ. Each day 500 or more men were baptised. And there, in the stone quarry, was made a church, in which he served as priest.

     The apostolic activity of the saint aroused the wrath of the emperor Trajan, and he gave orders to drown Saint Clement. They threw the martyr into the sea with an anchor about his neck. This occurred in the year 101.      Through the prayers of the saint's faithful disciples, Cornelius and Fibius together with all the people, the sea receded, and the people found a not-wrought-by-hand temple ("Angelic Church") the undecayed body of their pastor. After this, yearly on the day of the martyr's death of Saint Clement the sea fell back and in its wake for seven days Christians were able to venerate his holy relics. Only in the IX Century during the reign of the Constantinople emperor Nicephoros (802-811), by Divine sufferance, the relics of Saint Clement for 50 years became inaccessible for veneration. During the time of the emperor Michael and his mother Theodora (855-867), Kherson was visited by holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius. Having learned about the concealed relics of Saint Clement, they induced the Kherson bishop George to make a collective service of prayer to the Lord for the revealing of the relics of the priestmartyr. After the service of prayer of Saints Cyril and Methodius and the clergy having come with them from Tsargrad and the fervent prayer of everyone gathered, on the surface of the sea at midnight there miraculously appeared the holy relics of Saint Clement. These they solemnly conveyed to the church of the Holy Apostles [at Constantinople]. A portion of the relics were then transported by Saints Cyril and Methodius to Rome, but a large portion of the relics was later brought to Kiev by the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Vladimir (+ 1015) and placed in the Desyatin-Tithe church, together with the relics of Saint Fibius, where a chapel in the name of Saint Clement had been constructed. The memory of the PriestMartyr Clement [in Russian Kliment] is sacredly venerated in Russia. From ancient times many a church has been dedicated to him.      Saint Clement, who belongs to the Apostolic Fathers, has left to us a spiritual legacy – two epistles to the Corinthians – the first such written memorials of Christian teaching after the writings of the holy Apostles. They have been published in Russian translation [and of course also in English]. [trans. note: The significance of the small group of the generation of the Apostolic Fathers, which includes Saint Clement Pope of Rome, is in this: they learned the teaching of Christ directly from the Holy Apostles, who in turn learned directly whilst sitting at the feet of our Lord. The mark of the "Apostolicity of the Church" refers not only to the unbroken chain of priestly ordination stretching back to Christ Himself, but also to our fidelity in the Holy Spirit to the Holy Tradition of the Church stretching back directly through the Apostles to our Lord Jesus Christ, – wherein our faith truly is one with "the Church of Christ and His Holy Apostles"].

The Holy Great Martyr Catherine (305)

     The Holy GreatMartyre Catherine was the daughter of the governor of Alexandrian Egypt Constus during the reign of the emperor Maximian (305-313). Living in the capital – the centre of Hellenistic knowledge, and possessed of an uncommon beauty and intellect, Catherine received a most splendid of educations, having studied the works of the finest philosophers and teachers of antiquity. Young men from the most worthy families of the empire sought the hand of the beautiful Catherine, but none of them was chosen. She declared to her parents that she would be agreeable to enter into marriage only with someone who surpassed her in illustriousness, wealth, comeliness and wisdom.

     Catherine's mother, a secret Christian, sent her for advice to her own spiritual father – a saintly elder pursuing prayerful deeds in solitude in a cave not far from the city. Having listened to Catherine, the elder said that he knew of a Youth, who surpassed her in everything, such that "His beauty was more radiant than the shining of the sun, His wisdom governed all creation, His riches were spread throughout all the world – this however did not diminish but rather added to the inexpressible loftiness of His lineage". The image of the Heavenly Bridegroom produced in the soul of the holy maiden an ardent desire to see Him. Truth, to which her soul yearned, revealed it to her. In parting, the elder handed Catherine an icon of the Mother of God with the God-Child Jesus on Her arm and bid her to pray with faith to the Queen of Heaven – the Mother of the Heavenly Bridegroom – for the bestowing of the vision of Her Son.      Catherine prayed all night and was given to see the MostHoly Virgin, Who sent Her Divine Son to look upon the kneeling of Catherine before Them. But the Child turned His face away from her saying, that He was not able to look at her because she was ugly, of shabby lineage, beggarly and mindless like every person – not washed with the waters of holy Baptism and not sealed with the seal of the Holy Spirit. Catherine returned again to the elder deeply saddened. He lovingly received her, instructed her in the faith of Christ, admonished her to preserve her purity and integrity and to pray unceasingly; he then performed over her the mystery / sacrament of holy Baptism. And again Saint Catherine had a vision of the MostHoly Mother of God with Her Child. Now the Lord looked tenderly at her and gave her a ring – a wondrous gift of the Heavenly Bridegroom.

     At this time the emperor Maximian was himself in Alexandria for a pagan feastday. Because of this, the feast was especially splendid and crowded. The cries of the sacrificial animals, the smoke and the smell of the sacrifices, the endless blazing of fires, and the bustling crowds at the arenas filled Alexandria. Human victims also were brought – because they consigned to death in the fire the confessors in Christ, those not recanting from Him under torture. The Saint's love for the Christian martyrs and her fervent desire to lighten their fate impelled Catherine to go to the pagan head-priest and ruler of the empire, the emperor-persecutor Maximian.      Introducing herself, the saint confessed her faith in the One True God and with wisdom denounced the errors of the pagans. The beauty of the maiden captivated the emperor. In order to convince her and show the superiourity of pagan wisdom, the emperor gave orders to gather 50 of the most learned men (rhetoricians) of the empire, but the Saint got the better of the wise men, such that they themselves came to believe in Christ. Saint Catherine shielded the martyrs with the sign of the cross, and they bravely accepted death for Christ and were burnt by order of the emperor.      Maximian, no longer hoping to convince the saint, tried to entice her with the promise of riches and fame. Having received an angry refusal, the emperor gave orders to subject the saint to terrible tortures and then throw her in prison. The Empress Augusta, who had heard much about the saint, wanted to see her. Having prevailed upon the military-commander Porphyry to accompany her with a detachment of soldiers, Augusta went to the prison. The empress was impressed by the strong spirit of Saint Catherine, whose face glowed with Divine grace. The holy martyress explained the Christian teaching to the newly-arrived, and they in believing were converted to Christ.      On the following day they again brought the martyress to the judgement court where, under the threat of being broken on the wheel, they urged that she recant from the Christian faith and offer sacrifice to the gods. The saint steadfastly confessed Christ and she herself approached the wheels; but an Angel smashed the instruments of execution, which broke up into pieces with many pagans passing nearby. Having beheld this wonder, the empress Augusta and the imperial courtier Porphyry with 200 soldiers confessed their faith in Christ in front of everyone, and they were beheaded. Maximian again tried to entice the holy martyress, proposing marriage to her, and again he received a refusal. Saint Catherine firmly confessed her fidelity to the Heavenly Bridegroom – Christ, and with a prayer to Him she herself put her head on the block under the sword of the executioner. The relics of Saint Catherine were taken by the Angels to Mount Sinai. In the VI Century, through a revelation, the venerable head and left hand of the holy martyress were found and transferred with honour to a newly-constructed church of the Sinai monastery, built by the holy emperor Justinian (527-565; Comm. 14 November).

All texts© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.

Matthew 5:14-19 

14You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. 17 Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven

Hebrews 9:1-7

1Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary.2 For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; 3 and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All,4 which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. 6 Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. 7 But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance;

[ss-neokagashi-ss-blog]

Exposing The Illuminati

https://www.ancient-forums.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=17895

Exposing The Illuminati The Illuminati order was a Jewish world government movement of Kabbalistic Jews going back to its original origin's in Europe in the 15th century in Spain as the Jewish Alumbrado movement which means "Illuminated or Enlightened" this movement became the Jesuits Order officially and it appears in France later on in the 17th century officially and became known as the Frankist movement and came public again as the infamous "Illuminati" of Weishaupt.  Adam Weishaupt himself was a Jewish Jesuit and Frankist and styled the Illuminati structure and aims on the Jesuit Order and the goal of the order was to bring about a World Jewish Government.  The Jesuit's and Frankists where wings of the same Jewish Kabbalistic  Alumbrado movement. The Jewish power elites who ran the Vatican needed a sword arm of the Jesuits to fight against the anti-Catholic movements that were sweeping Europe and seeking to destroy their foundation of their occult control and power the Church. The writings of the time show the anti Catholic movement was an open anti-Jewish movement and the Gentiles such as the famous anti-Semitic, Bruno [who called the Jews "excrement"]   was one of the leaders of such movement. Bruno wanted to abolish Christianity and return to Paganism which is why he was executed Hellenism [Paganism] was the death penalty under the Jewish Catholic Church. "It was the Jewish Jesuit Cardinal Roberto Bellarmino [1542-1621] who ordered the philosopher  Filippo Giordano Bruno burnt at the stake  on the 17th of February 1600." The Jewish Alumbrado movement: "In 1492 the Alumbrado [The Enlightened] moment was founded by  Spanish Marranos [baptised Jews who secretly kept their Talmudic faith] and a similar organisation was founded in France in 1623 - "Guerients" who changed their name to the Illuminati in 1722." "The Spanish authorities attempted to stop the Alumbrado movement as early as 1527 when Ignatius Loyola was temporarily arrested for his activities with the  Illuminati [my note the Jewish Alumbrado movement]." "Loyola [Inigo Lopez de Regalde], who was of Jewish blood was born in the 1490"s in 1534, he founded his own order the Jesuits taking out  a loan for the purpose. The Pope acknowledged the Jesuit Order on the 5th of Apiril 1540." The Jesuit's where acknowledged by Pope Paul the III who was obviously Jewish from the images of him just as the Marrano, Borgia Popes where well known to be Jewish. "Benjamin Disraeli, author and prime minister of Great Britain in 1868 and 1874-76 himself a Jew, wrote in his book "Coningsby" [London,1844] that the first Jesuits were Jews." Loyola's written texts the spiritual exercises of the Jesuit Order are all known to be from the Jewish Kabbalah. As the Jesuit's are simply a Kabbalistic Jewish movement who control the Vatican and appointed and assassinated  Popes in history. The Vatican's enforcers are occult trained Jews. Most of the Popes in history have been Jewish as well as the Cardinal's and bishops. The Catholic Church was created by the Flavian Dynasty who's first Emperor put up a statue to an Alexandrian Jew who was responsible for creating the Dynasty. It was also run by  Jewish oligarchs. The Bible is Jewish religion and ends with the world being ruled by a global Jewish government of the Jewish King of the world and the 12 tribes of Israel from the New Zion in the book of Revelations. The Catholic revolution in the Roman Empire destroyed the Gentile society to create a new globalist Jewish government under the icon the ideal of the Jewish King of the World that must be worshipped and brought to life from the astral into the material as a working of the mass mind. The Jesuit's symbol is the Cabbalistic image of the Temple of Solomon the Jewish world government in Judaism. The Latin cross is an extended version of the four armed cross of the Kabballah world Malkuth the material world within the circle of the Kabbalah world of Kether the astral and three of the arms of the cross are designed to look like the symbol of the Hebrew Vav letter with three nails [the meaning of Vav in Hebrew] under this image which are symbolized the three nails which represent the VVV in Kabballah, the 666 which is the number of the Temple of Solomon in the Jewish Torah. The name of the Jesuit's come from the Hebrew name Yeshua into Greek as Jesus "Iesous" which adds to the number 6 in its numerological meaning. Of which the IHS the short form of Iesous is over the top of. Which is the first three letter of YES..uah. Three having major importance in Kabballah. The symbol of the cross of Malkuth, earth the material in the circle of the world of Kether the symbol of the astral is the bringing down of the Jewish Messianic   "World to come" into reality the Kabballah world of Kether is the astral the vortex of energy of the Christ thought form the Jews have created. The cross of Malkuth is the material realm they have materialized this working into and the three Vav's are the symbol of the materialization of this the 6 is the union of the astral and material and the materialization of occult workings into full existence the 666 is 6 to its highest power and adds to Chai the Hebrew word for life to bring a working to life in Kabballah. This shows the image of the Catholic Church of Jesus on the Cross is the occult symbol of the Jewish Temple of Solomon. The Jewish world Kingdom. 666 on its own is not malevolent the Egyptians, Hindu's and Greeks used it as a positive number to bring the human into full contact with body and spirit together. This knowledge was destroyed and corrupted by the Jews to remove it form humanity. 666 is given the scare tactic by Jewish Christianity because the Jews want to keep this knowledge to themselves to criminally use it. The commandments against use of occult systems in the Torah is only for Gentile spiritual systems which are forbidden in the Kabballah for Jews to use. And are ordered to be destroyed. They are toxic to the Jewish alien soul. The symbol of the Jesuit's is based on the goal of the materialization of the Jewish occult working of the Christ Consciousness matrix they have created into reality as the One World Jewish Kingdom its designed to materialize for the Jews.  The name and symbol of Jesus  itself is a binding spell based on the number six which connects to this Jewish energy matrix and brings it into reality.  The purpose of the Catholic Church is the Jewish world government this is obvious in the Bible and the symbol of the Jesuits an occult Jewish organization that is based on bringing the thought form of Christ into fully reality and conquering the world for the Jews.   This is why the current Jesuit Pope Francis was demanding the Catholic's pray the rosary as much as possible in October its to feed the psychic energy into this Jewish thought form of Christ at the time the Jews do the most important Torah workings to recharge this matrix of energy for themselves. The Jew Weishaupt who's father was a Rabbi, becomes a new leader in the Jewish Alumbrado movement: "In 1771, 23 year old Weishaupt met Kolmer, a Danish  Cabbalist Jew who had just returned from Egypt. Kolmer initiated Weishaupt.... into the Cabbala and the ALUMBRADO movement." "It was no coincidence that the Order of the Illuminati was founded on the fist of May. Among the Cabbalist Jews, this date, 15 [1.5] symbolised the sacred number of Yahweh [my note the Jewish god] and so became their occult holiday." From Weishaupt's connection in the Kabbalistic Alumbrado movement he was introduced to members of its other wings such as the Frankists: "At this time a young Jew named Mayer Amschel was being tutored to become a rabbi. ....He later took the name Rothschild. It was Mayer Amschel Rothschild who convinced Weishaupt to wholly accept the Frankist Cabbalist doctrine and who afterwards financed the Illuminati. Rothschild had given Weishaupt the task of establishing [my note leading the existing] the old Alumbrado movement for Cabbalist Jews." "Jakob Frank [1726-1791] was the most frightening phenomenon in Jewish history... Rabbi  Marvin S. Antelman shows in his book "To Eliminate the Opiate" [New York,1974] that there was a clear connection between Frankism and Weishaupt's Illuminism. The goal of the Frankists was to work in secret to establish Jewish world supremacy. Professor [my note himself a Jew]Scholem, has clearly documented that they achieved extensive political power." The other powerful global banking Jewish dynasty in this movement next to the Rothschild's to this day are the Jewish Warburgs they another Cabbalistic adept group: "In Hamburg, a powerful Jewish-Cabbalist family grew forth. Their name was [Samuel Moses] Warbug and they also joined this conspiracy of world supremacy." This is where it comes together Weishaupt  was part of the Jewish Alumbrado  this is where he went into and became a trained Jesuit and a member of the Frankists and created the Illuminati and ran this for larger Jewish powers behind the scene. He was simply a well trained agent of Jewish occult espionage who was moved thought these wings of the same Jewish movement due to his qualifications for such. That is why Weishaupt's main agents where all fellow Cabbalist Jews they were all in the same movement working together to bring this agenda about. The Jewish run Catholic Church is in the background as well. "Bernard Lazar, a well-known Jewish author wrote in his "L'Anti-semitisme" in 1894, that exclusively Cabbalist Jews surrounded Weishaupt. Confiscated documents show that of 39 Illuminati holding lesser leading positions, 17 were Jews [i.e 40%]. The higher one looked in ranks, the larger was the percentage of Jews. Even the fact the Illuminate  headquarters in Ingolstadt were later converted into a synagogue was symbolic of this conspiracy Lazar stated that all these Jews became the agents of revolution..." "There were four especially important Jews in the Illuminati leadership, Harwig [Naphtali Herz] Wessely, Moses Mendelssoh, the banker Daniel von Itzig and the business man David Friedlander." The Jewish Cabbalist movement infiltrated the Masonic Societies whom themselves wanted to destroy the Catholic Church and create a free society. And the Jews did this to corrupt them and turn them into useful idiots of the Jewish world government program. They also did this to stop them from destroying the Church the foundation of Jewish occult power.  The fact Jewish Jesuit Weishaupt himself didn't hide, the Jews conqueror from within: "Adam Weishaupt had taught: "To some of these freemasons we shall not even reveal that we have anything more than what the freemasons have... All those who are not suitable for the work he shall remain in the Masonic lodge and advance there without known anything about the additional system. ["Einige Originalschriften des Illuminatenordes"] Munich, 1787, p.300.] "The Illuminati moved freely within the many secret societies of the time seeking to utilise the liberal ideology of freemasonry as bait for those who lacked knowledge of its true purposes. "All Illuminati are freemasons but far from all freemasons are Illuminati," stated Professor Cosandey and Renner from Munich in their testimonies in April 1785." The Jewish movement was able to take control of Freemasonry at the Congress of Wilhelmsbad which was set up by Weishaupt's bosses such as the Rothschild's with help of Weishaupt: "A conference was held at Mayer Amschel Rothschild's castle in Wilhelmsbad on the 16th July 1782, where the freemasons and Illuminati forged a complete alliance. In this way, the leading secret societies  began a closer co-operation with the Illuminati." "At its beginning, the Illuminati was not a Masonic order, and Weishaupt himself did not enter a lodge until 1777, when he received induction into the Lodge Theodore de Bon Conseil in Munich. However, once inside Masonry, Weishaupt immediately saw its potential value to be a vehicle for the realization of his Illuminati dreams. To create an official union between the Illuminati and Freemasonry, Weishaupt set about organizing the Congress of Wilhelmsbad at the Castle of William IX of Hesse-Kassel, to occur on July 16, 1782. That special even, which was momentous in both size and aspirations, was attended by elite representatives of Masonic lodges from all over. It was also there that a decision was reached to allow the previously excluded Jews to be granted admittance into Freemasonry." "When the time came for a vote on their admittance at Wilhelmsbad, the Jews were so anxious to win the day that they completely filled the hall with other Jewish supporters. It was not long afterwards that the Illuminati membership included an abundance of Jewish banking families, including the Rothschild's, the Oppenheimers, the Wertheimers, the Schusters, Speyers, and Sterns." "New lodges of predominantly Jews were formed in Frankfurt the Rothschild's financial capital in Europe, and soon all of Illumininzed Freemasonry would make the city its world headquarters." "The first order of business for the Illuminati-initiated Jews, who were the was to manifest their prophesied Zion, a world ruled by the chosen people of Yahweh. Plans were set in motion for the Jews to finally have their "land of milk and honey" that had been promised to them for so long [in their own Jew minds] and it would be the entire world." From here the Jews were able to take over the important command lodge of the Grant Orient in France and its associated Lodges. This gave them occult control over the French revolution. "Weishaupt had earlier sent the Jew Giuseppe Balsamo who presented himself under the false title of Count Alessandro Cagliostro, to France so that the Illuminati would control the French Masonic orders." It was the taking over of the Masonic Jacobin's clubs that gave the Jewish movement political control over the French revolution: "The Illuminati  took over the Jacobin clubs already in 1789. 152 of these clubs were active on the August 1790, according   to the Encyclopaedia Britannica. The Jacobins had a centralized network over all France. The first club was taken over by Weishaupt's close collaborators Bode and Baron de Bushce. ... We must not forget that one of Weishaupt's titles was "Patriarch of the Jacobin's"." This is the important part when the Jews created the "Jacobin Republic" and officially took over the French Revolution they created the "Commune" ended all liberties and brought in the "Terror" created secret police forces identical to their Cheka later on in Russia and exterminated over half a million French innocents and destroyed France as a nation on every level. "Jewish "revolutionaries" immediately saw to it that the Jews received full citizenship and so that they had their hands free to act. Maximillian Marie Isidore Robespierre [my note the leader of the Jacobin Republic] published a work entitled "To Protect the Political Rights of the Jews" as early as in 1789 [my note around the start of the French revolution]. Protection of Jewish rights was obviously considered the main priority.  Louis Joseph Marchand, friend of Napoleon Bonaparte, wrote in 1895 that Robespierre was actually Jew by the name  of Ruban....["In Napoleon's Shadow." San Francisoco,1998]. This is where the obvious is witnessed the Jewish run Illuminati, Jacobin Republic established a Communist society the Commune, the Jacobin Republic was the political arm of the Jewish world government movement and the Jacobin's where lead by the Jesuit agent Robespierre who was a Jew named Ruben...… It was Ruben  who executed the actual Mason's who where working to ABOLISH THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.  The Jew Robespierre reinstated the Catholic Church and Christianity totality into French society, reinstated the Catholic Priesthood and Church lands and wealth and the Christian ritual which had all been banned by the Masonic members of the government. This was to maintain the Catholic Church which is the occult foundation of the Jewish power structure. This creates the psychic and material base for the Jewish agenda of world government. Without the Catholic Church and Christianity that can't survive. This is why the Jewish Illuminati infiltration of the Mason's replaced the Hellenistic [Pagan] Masonic spiritual teachings with the Jewish Kabballah and Christianity from its Pagan anti-Christian doctrines. To bring them under control of the Jews and use them to build the Jewish world government now the name of god in the 33rd degree is one of the Jewish god YHVH.  The Jew Ruben under his leadership of the Jacobin Republic set up a pseudo Masonic religion which was nothing more then Christianity. And this was noted by the witnesses of the time. This was to destroy the Masonic movement totally and keep Christianity going. Which is why the Jewish Jacobin Republic abolished the Masonic Lodges and shut them down and sent many of their members to the execution docks during the Terror. Just as their Jewish brethren shut down and liquated the Masonic Lodges they used to bring the Communist revolution to Russia, once they had power. They where useful idiots who had played their role. They in France like in Russia where executed so they would not become a force of counter revolution once the Jews had dropped the mask and revealed their real purpose. America was also attacked by the Jewish forces of the Illuminati. "George Washington, who had become a freemason in 1752 when he was 20 years old, also attempted to oppose the Illuminati's work in America after he was convinced in 1796 that they posed a threat to the nation. Due to this, Weishaupt had made plans to murder Washington if he became too troublesome. [Neal Wilgus, "The Illuminoids", New York, 1978,p.33.] The Jews did finally attempt to murder Washington and overthrow the new American Republic when the new nation's government was still in Philadelphia. Illuminati agents from France poured into America on orders from the Jacobin Republic's Jewish leader Ruben acting mostly likely on orders from fellow Jew, Weishaupt. Philadelphia the capital only had 28,000 people living in it. The Illuminati agents organized and funded a 10,000 man mob of insurrection led by them and who where trucked in from elsewhere for an organized assault on Philadelphia the open goal being to overthrow the government and execute Washington and end the American nation. Thankfully a yellow fever outbreak occurred and decimated the Illuminati forces and chased the rest out of the city for fear of plague. Adam's wrote to Jefferson a decade after this attempted coup by the Illuminati and told him they nearly lost the nation and where only saved by the outbreak of fever.   Washington passed the Alien and Sedition Act into law after this for the reason of combating the Jewish Illuminati in America. Under this act dozens of French Illuminati agents where arrested and imprisoned and thousands more fled America back to France.   Something to note Franklin probably witnessed how the Jews had overtaken France in the Revolution and wanted to protect America from the same fate as Franklin made this demand the year the French Revolution started: "In 1789, the publicist, statesman and scientist Benjamin Franklin [1706-1790] himself a freemason, demanded that the United States of America defend itself against the Jewish immigration and influence with the help of the constitution, since the Jews had become a state within the state." The Illuminati just the wing of the Jewish organization of the Catholic Church. "The mighty finance dynasty of the Rothschild's was born out of the French "revolution". The Rothschild's are still in control behind the scenes today, especially within the European Union." This is why the Rothschild's are the bankers of the Catholic Church. The Church is run by the Jesuit's the same Jewish Cabbalistic order the Frankist's are another wing of, the Rothschild's are leaders of the Frankists and they are working together with the Jewish run Jesuits the leaders of the Church for the same Jewish world government. The Communist Ideology was created by the Jesuits and perfected by them. This was exported to France with the Jacobin Commune. Later the Jacobin's would change their name to the Communist League. Which was the same Jewish Cabbalistic movement marching into a new day.   This is why the Jesuits created and organized "Liberation Theology" which is Christian Communism and spread this to aid in Communist revolution in Latin America. This was the system they already created and perfected centuries before they where bringing out to the  public again. The current Jesuit Pope Francis when he was the Bishop in Argentina ordered Liberation Theology to be preached in all the Churches for assistance in the conquest of Latin America for his Jewish brethren's mission of the Jewish world government.  Francis the Jesuit Pope was put into power to do one thing rebuild the image of Jewish Communism to the world and use Church political and monetary power to push towards the agenda of the World Jewish Government. "Since Jesuits educated Weishaupt , he was familiar with their experiences of creating totalitarian societies and his prototype was above all the totalitarian and theocratic rule, which the Jesuits enforced, in spite of the Spanish central power in Paraguay in 1609. This slave state existed officially for 159 years, up to 1768." "The Jesuits followed a kind of  communist method, using cunning and violence. Guarani Indians of both sexes and all ages  were put to forced labour for the mission. The Indians did not have any personal property. All the produce as gathered in communal storehouses. Whatever food and clothing the Indians needed as well as the general needs of the commune, were distributed from these . The Jesuits oversaw the work in a factory manner.  The Jesuits enforced work duty .The supply of food and other necessities to the Indians depended on the results of production. The power structure was centralized and work was performed in groups. The commune even organized entertainment. When punishment was meted out the Indians were made to kiss the hand of their executioner, thank him and express their remorse. The commune leadership was comprised of Jesuit priests....The Jesuits aspired to create an independent state...An interesting fact is that primarily Central European Jesuits [of Jewish stock] were chosen as leaders of the Paraguay missions. Paraguay was an example of standardisation, the "right of co-determination", the factory mentality, communist methods, an iron curtain...politurks, servitude, violence, propaganda and militarism,. The Indians where turned into helpless, dependent creatures. Their chances for spiritual development were curbed. Special Jesuit priests [like   politruks] indoctrinated the Indians not to express their dissatisfaction. Information about the real conditions eventually reached the outside world despite all hypocrisy and double-dealing. In 1759, the Jesuits were ordered to release the Indians and abolish their isolation system.....King Carlos III of Spain expelled the Jesuits from all his provinces in 1767. The Jesuits in Paraguay shared the fate of their brothers. One year later, in 1768 they officially left their missions without resistance, missions which had, through their communist way of life, stifled the spiritual development of the Indians. Thereby the Jesuits had gathered experience of indoctrination the exceedingly freedom-loving Indian nations and of changing them into obedient slaves in their commune." The Catholic Church was never harmed in Communist Nations in fact it has the support of the Communist governments. The Catholic Church rules Communist China arm in arm with the Asian and western Jews who control Communist China. There are close to one hundred million Catholic's in China who are allowed total practice by the Communist government when Falun Gong a Gentile Taoist movement is brutality oppressed and its members murdered and imprisoned were many are killed in the prison system to sell their organs on the market. Spiritual knowledge and practices are the ultimate danger to the Jewish agenda which is why the Jewish Jesuits ran the Inquisition. Which is why Mao banned all spiritual practices and put Taoist Chi Gong masters in camps and any teaching or practicing of such was punished by death during the cultural revolution which was organized by western Jews. And why the Jewish run Christian program executed all Gentile spiritual classes and destroyed their teachings. The only religion Gentiles are allowed is a fake religion in which the Gentiles empower a Jewish occult working to enslave the world. The Catholic Church, Jesuits, Frankists, Illuminati, Communists are all external wings of the same Jewish race long march thought the ages and world to bring about the one aim of the Jewish race. The global Jewish Kingdom. And the Jewish Kabballah is the center, heart and key to the entire Jewish goal. Which is why the entire leadership of the Jewish world government movement have always been and still are adepts in the Jewish Kabballah. The entire Jewish occult system of the Kabballah is based on the 22 Hebrew Letters the three levels of Kabballah the Creation by the Word, Merkava and Forbidden Practices [Forbidden meaning Gentile spiritual systems this branch deals with occult warfare against Gentiles its their black magic system and which they use for cursing] are all based on the 22 Hebrew letters. The only way to defeat the Jewish world government is the Final RTR which destroys the astral or Kether aspect of the letters and renders them Klipoth or empty husks in the material which causes their entire infrastructure to collapse. The Kabballah Jewish Adepts warn in their texts reversing the Hebrew letters and words which are all based on the 22 Hebrew letters is their one Achilles heel that can destroy them and this is to be guarded against. Sources Under the Sign of the Scorpion, Juri Lina The Coming Gnostic Civilization, Mark Pinkham